


What Do Two Third Wheels Make?

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Third Wheels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 00:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20416777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Dia and You struggle with being third wheels to their dating best friends. Maybe they can find some comfort in a kindred soul.





	What Do Two Third Wheels Make?

"Kanaaan!" Dia visibly winced, hearing that shrill, familiar voice just beyond the door. She knew what was about to happen, and exactly as expected, Mari burst through the door to the student council room. Her loud cry had the eyes of both Dia and Kanan, who had been working together on some club papers, right on her. Right where they belonged, if Mari could be honest. She would just keep that little thought to herself, though. "_Bella mia!_ I've missed you!"

"It's only been like twenty minutes." Kanan laughed, but she pushed her chair out to allow Mari room to nearly fling herself into it - and into Kanan's arms. Luckily she resisted, or there might have been a risk of dual concussions, but she still threw her arms around Kanan, and the entire chair in general. Kanan laughed again, wrapping up Mari in one of her signature hugs, and both of them were practically glowing. They were clearly happy to see each other. Dia huffed, somewhat miffed about the situation. She wasn't _un_happy to see them... just to see the distraction that they were inevitably going to make.

"If you don't mind, Mari, Kanan and I were working on something." She gestured towards the papers on her desk, only to find that she wasn't being paid attention to. Mari had gotten herself into Kanan's lap and was presently smooching her like there was no one else in the room. An incorrect thought that had a vein pulsing on Dia's forehead. She coughed into her fist, jabbing her finger at the papers again, but this did not have the desired effect. There was still too much smooching and not enough attention-paying. "Mari!"

"Yes, puddin'?" Purring, Mari pulled herself away from Kanan's face to look over at their embattled student council president. For her part, Dia felt a combination of frustration and exasperation. This kept happening way more times than could be permissible, and she honestly wasn't sure whether Mari was doing it on purpose or couldn't tell that she was such a huge distraction. At least from the sheepish look on Kanan's face, she could assume that the more sensible of her two best friends had some sort of awareness about it. That didn't make her stop Mari from doing it, though.

"I insist that you allow Kanan to return to these papers. I'd like to get these done before the sun sets, if you please." Shaking her head, she forced her focus back to the forms. They were really important, but that had never mattered to Mari. Despite being the chairwoman of the entire school, she seemed very blasé about all of the going-ons within it. It was as if she expected to just throw money at it and everything she needed to do would be done. That did _not_ work in this school... as far as she knew.

"_No problem!_" She shouted out in English, lifting herself off of Kanan's lap and allowing her girlfriend to scoot back towards the desk. Dia was able to breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that things could finally get back on track. "I can help too!" Well, so much for that. She looked up and watched as Mari pranced over to the other side of the room, grabbing a chair and dragging it back to the desk. Sighing deeply, she rubbed the bridge of her nose to try and disperse the stress that was building inside her. It did not work.

"You don't have to stay here, Mari. Kanan and I should be finished within the hour." As much as she would've appreciated the extra help, she knew that Mari being there would just cause Kanan to be distracted. It was a pattern that she knew all too well. No matter how good Mari's intentions may sound, she would be poking and teasing Kanan before too long, keeping both of their attentions on each other rather than their work. That would leave her to, as always, pick up the rest of the slack.

"Don't worry, Dia! Three heads are better than two!" That was sound logic, but when two of those heads were driven towards irresponsibility, the logic started to fall apart. "It'll get done quicker!" Again... Oh whatever. What was she going to do about it, anyway? She felt like she stood up for herself plenty of times, but there was something about her friends that always made her relent in the end. So that didn't sound like she actually was standing up for herself, but... No, she didn't actually have a good excuse for that. Groaning, she let her head fall down against the desk. "Ooh, is it time for a nap already?"

"I'm working, dammit!" With another groan, she lifted her head up and tightened her grip on her pen. Doing her best to push all other distractions out of her mind, she started to read over and sign the paperwork that was before her. She worked with a laser-sight focus, going through paper after paper with ease. The stack on her right was solidly growing with each passing minute, and she allowed a small smile to cross her lips. This was what kind of work could be done when one fully applied themselves to their work.

A quiet giggling on her left wiped the smile right off her lips. Closing her eyes briefly, she decided that she was going to ignore it. If she could just believe that it would die down on its own, then she might feel a bit better about waking up that morning. Her grip on her pen tightened ever-so slightly as she signed another document, placing it on the ever-growing pile. Another giggle hit her ears, but she went right on with ignoring it. She was making real progress here... The mixture of those two giggling made her scratch her pen across the paper, missing where she was supposed to sign by a good five inches.

"Would you two quiet down?!" In a fit of frustration, she threw her pen down. It hit the desk and rolled off the edge, hitting her lap before falling down to the floor. She barely even noticed it, though. Her body felt very warm, as if it was burning with a barely-repressed rage. She just didn't understand what caused these two to be so... so _them_ all the time! No matter how serious something might be, it was just one big joke. And yes, she was pointing the finger at Mari specifically. She was absolutely a bad influence on Kanan. "Have you even gone through any of the forms?"

"Sorry, Dia! I just thought of something I just had to tell Kanan. It was real quick, though!" Real quick, huh? Right... Glancing over at the papers in front of Kanan and Mari, she could see that they had at least done some amount of work. It was severely lacking in comparison to what she'd done, though. Even if that one bout of giggling had been for a single thing, it was clear that they had been silently doing Gods know what while she wasn't looking. That thought made her go right past her boiling point into a sort of zen form of rage.

"You know what? It's okay." She set her hand down on the desk, as if putting down the pen she was no longer holding. The anger that had built up so rapidly had suddenly dispersed, casting a mist of those red-hot emotions across her brain. In a daze, she pushed her chair back and stood up, staring at her friends with a blank expression. "I think I'm going to go home now. I'll come in early and finish up tomorrow."

"Wait, Dia-" Kanan called out to her, but she was already walking towards the door. She didn't even look over her shoulder to see Kanan standing up as if to go after her, or the concerned expression on Mari's face. Instead, she just opened the door and left without a word. She didn't even slam it to convey just how angry she was at their tomfoolery. No, she just pulled it closed as calmly as could be and went on her less-than-merry way. Down the hall and out the door, into the courtyard and to the sidewalk.

The farther she walked, the more her anger evaporated. It helped to put distance between herself and the place where she'd had her blow-up, but that just meant a new emotion was taking that anger's place: shame. Kanan and Mari had been testing her patience like end-of-the-year exams, but that didn't mean they deserved to get yelled at. That wasn't how she was supposed to treat her friends, and it was so unbecoming regardless. She sighed and ran a hand down her face, feeling tears of regret trickling down her cheeks. Having to go to school tomorrow and apologize wasn't going to be fun.

Truthfully, it wasn't so much that she was mad about their constant distractions... Okay, that _was_ mostly it, but it wasn't the only thing. Even worse than admitting that she needed to apologize was admitting that she was jealous. Those two had a connection that was as powerful as it was immediate. It was like they had been born to end up in each other's arms, and at times it made her feel bitter. Yes, the great, stoic Dia Kurosawa was jealous that her friends were dating and she was alone. Laugh it up. Gods, even _she_ was laughing at herself for that one.

Just because she was always so work-focused didn't mean she wanted to be alone forever. She understood the appeal of having someone at her side, like how Kanan and Mari were. In her weaker moments, she would lie in bed and crave the feeling of someone next to her. They could hold her hand and talk to her about something that happened to them in the time they weren't together. Maybe they would tell her a joke and she would actually laugh. They could go on dates together and share intimate kisses under the light of the full moon. It sounded nice... really, really nice.

That was ridiculous, though. Not in a "Love is a waste of time" way, but a "Love would never work for me" way. She could admit that, in some instances, she could be a difficult person to get along with. Getting things done was such a big thing for her that it often got in the way of her having time for other things. Plus, she could be, as Mari had once said, 'intimidating'. People naturally cowered beneath her, which wasn't a great start for a potential relationship. At least not one that she wanted to be in...

Wiping the errant tears from her eyes, she realized that she didn't even want to go home yet. She sat down at the bus stop, but her original destination didn't seem so appealing anymore. If she went home, all she was going to do was crawl into bed and feel bad about her present situation. Then she'd have to also think about getting up early to finish that paperwork. Contrary to what people might believe, she didn't like getting up _that_ early. No more than any other girl her age.

When she got onto the next bus, she sat down in the very front and let herself just space out. Normally she wouldn't allow such a thing, as it was a waste of time. She could be using that ride to think about the future, at least about whatever class assignments she had or whatever student council duties she needed to accomplish. She could've even thought about ideas for Aqours, but no. She didn't want to think about any of that. It only would bring her back to Kanan and Mari, and how stupidly happy they were... and how she wasn't. Stupidly.

She ended up doing a pretty good job of spacing out completely. One minute the bus was still where she had been picked up, and the next they were next to the beach. Blinking in confusion, she looked out at the beach, then at the open doors. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and purposefully walked down the steps. After a short walk, she turned around to watch the bus drive off to its next stop. There wasn't going to be another bus for... Huh... She couldn't even think of the route at the moment. Gods, if she was any more scatterbrained, she would start taking over for Chika.

Well, if she wasn't going to go home immediately, she might as well walk the beach. She walked until the concrete beneath her feet turned to sand, and her pace in turn slowed. It was warm outside, but not oppressively so. With the sun starting to set and a light breeze on the air, it actually felt pretty nice. She sighed, knowing that she couldn't truly enjoy the weather with everything that was weighing down her mind. It just made her wish the day was over so she could start from scratch. If she could get through the early morning paperwork and the awkward apologies, she could pretend none of this had happened and keep stuffing her wayward feelings back down in her heart where they belonged.

She found a bench and sat down, watching the waves rolling in from the ocean. The way they lapped at the shore was peaceful in a way, and it was a better thing to focus on than anything else. In a true sense of irony, she had left a place of distraction just to come here and be distracted. She put her head in her hands, not particularly appreciating the irony at the moment. This was just a hell of a mess she'd gotten herself in. She'd yelled at her friends, left the paperwork unfinished, and now she was sitting at the beach alone on a school evening. Her family was going to be worried if she wasn't home by the time the sun went down. What in the world was she doing? What was wrong with her?

"Dia?" Well, it looked like she wasn't exactly alone on the beach. She turned to the voice, her eyes widening in surprise at who it was that was standing there.

"You? What are you doing here?"

* * *

"That's unbelievable! I thought you said that piece was hard!" Chika was sitting next to Riko on the school's piano bench, staring at her with wide-eyed wonder. Riko, who had just finished playing a somewhat complicated classical piece for her captive audience, was blushing at the praise. She had only said that it could be difficult to play, but she hadn't expected to demonstrate it right then and there. Chika had been pretty persistent on wanting to hear it, though. "You did it so effortlessly!"

"I wouldn't say that..." She rubbed the back of her neck, her blush bright enough to light the room up all on its own. "I've been playing the piano for so long, you know? Practice makes perfect." Such platitudes were normal for her, as talking about her own skills behind the ivory keys was rather embarrassing. She'd never felt comfortable under such praise, but if it was going to come from anyone, she was glad that it was Chika. Her words meant more than her own could ever say.

"Don't sell yourself short, Riko. You're a great piano player." Sitting against the wall behind Chika and Riko, You smiled as best she could. She wasn't lying with what she said, but she wasn't as enthusiastic about it as she'd normally be. Usually she'd be happy to listen to her friend play her instrument of choice, as she could play it rather beautifully. The only thing tamping down her enthusiasm was the fact that they were supposed to have left the school grounds by now.

Her and Chika had come down to the music room to meet up with Riko, but as soon as Chika had heard the piano being played, she just had to hear more. So now she was sitting next to her girlfriend, so close that their hips were touching, and gushing about how great Riko was at the piano. Which she was! She really was. It's just... She sometimes wondered if that was the only thing Chika noticed anymore.

The thing about Chika was that when she was into something, or someone, then she would be super focused on that. It wasn't necessarily a bad trait, and she had often felt inspired due to how invested her best friend could become in something. She would feel that same desire to strive for glory in whatever they had chosen to do, at least until Chika decided it was time to quit. It was very clear that Riko wasn't something she was just going to quit, though. Not that she'd want her to do that. Those two were perfect together, and she wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together as happy as can be.

There was a consequence to Chika's hyper-fixation, though. It really did feel like she had forgotten You even existed. Maybe that wasn't a fair charge, since they did still talk in class and during practice. At the same time, things had definitely changed, and not for the better in her opinion. They didn't hang out after school as much anymore, and when they did, Riko almost always seemed to tag along. It wasn't that she didn't want to hang around Riko, since the two of them were friends as well. She just wanted time alone with Chika sometimes. It felt like they never got that anymore, and it made her feel like she had been cast aside. She knew that she shouldn't feel jealous that the two of them wanted to spend so much time together. They were dating, and she could understand that. At the same time, she hated feeling like she was invisible.

"Hey You, you coming?" She blinked, having accidentally spaced out. Looking up, she saw that Chika and Riko were standing next to the piano, holding hands and looking at her. Oh man, how long had she been sitting there and staring at nothing?

"Yup!" Forcing a smile, she jumped to her feet and pulled out her phone, quickly checking the time. Ah, she'd only spaced out for a few minutes, but that had been long enough for them to need to head home. She followed her two friends out of the building, letting her smile fall when they weren't looking. They thankfully didn't seem to notice, too busy chatting happily with each other. Pangs of hurt and jealously hit her heart, almost making her wish they _did_ notice. What would it matter if they did, though? She'd just pretend that nothing was wrong with a big smile and a laugh. They'd believe her, and things would go right back to normal. She sighed deeply, wondering if she was just destined to be a third wheel forever.

"Well, I'll see you two tomorrow?" They would go their separate ways at the bus stop: she would catch the bus, while Chika and Riko would continue walking. She waited a moment for a response, only to realize that they hadn't even been listening. Chika had been in Riko's ear, whispering something that made the other girl giggle.

"Oh, sorry, did you say something, You?" Chika pulled back and smiled, completely oblivious to how You was feeling. It wasn't like she was being obvious about it, but... She sighed and shook her head, pasting on that familiar smile again.

"I was just saying bye. I've gotta catch my bus." She waved at the two of them, her smile fading before she could catch it. Biting down on her lip, she hurriedly turned around and hurried for the bus stop, where the bus was just about to pull in. That was a relief, as she knew that she'd just keep lying if the two of them had followed her. She hopped onto the bus without looking back.

Of course, as soon as she sat down near the back of the bus, she couldn't help but to look. Out the window, she could only see Chika and Riko's backs as they were walking away, not even sparing a glance at the bus as it drove away. She slumped down in her seat, pressing her cheek against the glass. Well didn't _she_ feel awful now? Those two really hadn't noticed she was feeling down... They had barely even noticed her at all. But she hadn't wanted them to notice, but she did... Ugh, she was the one being complicated here. Why did it have to hurt so much that her best friend was ignoring her in favor of her girlfriend? Kind of an obvious answer, but...

If she wanted things to return closer to how they used to be, then she'd actually have to talk to Chika and tell her how she felt. That didn't seem like a fair idea either, though. If she did that, how would they get back to the way things were? By Chika spending less time with Riko. She knew that wasn't going to work. Riko didn't deserve to lose time with her girlfriend just because You was jealous. This was what happened when people got into relationships, and she should've expected that would happen. They were only seventeen, though! She hadn't really been thinking of that kinda thing happening. It just felt that they'd be best friends and bachelorettes forever, or something.

She knew that she couldn't tell Chika the truth. No matter which way it ended up, it wouldn't end well. Either she and Chika spent more time together at Riko's expense, or Chika got upset with her and they spent _less_ time together. The time they _would_ spend together would be awkward too, and then that would affect the entirety of Aqours. That would be selfish of her to split apart the group just because she felt like a third wheel.

The bus pulled to a stop, making her realize that she'd been spacing out again. Today was just a very space-y day, apparently. Looking out the window, she could see the beach nearby. Hey, if she was already here, maybe it'd be a good idea to take a walk along the beach. It wasn't _that_ far, and she could use the air coming off the sea to clear her head. She didn't want to go home and have her parents wonder what was going on with her.

Standing up, she hurried towards the front and exited the bus with a wave to the driver. She turned around and watched the doors close, staring after the bus as it drove off. Then, with another dramatic sigh, she started to walk towards the beach. She really was making a huge deal out of this, wasn't she? Well, truthfully, it felt like a big deal. If she really wasn't going to do anything about how she was feeling, then she had to just swallow it down and live with it for the rest of her life. That didn't make her feel any better, though. If anything, it made her feel _worse_. This sucked...

Just before she reached the sand, she stopped and bent over to remove her shoes. She had a sudden urge to feel the sand through her toes, like she was actually going to the beach on a normal weekend. Stuffing her shoes and socks in her back, she pressed her toes into the sand and smiled slightly. For all of her worries, this at least still felt good. She started to walk down the beach, kicking up sand as she went. The weather was nice as the sun was setting, so at least she wasn't getting burned up out there.

As she got farther down, she noticed someone sitting alone on a bench. There was no one else around, and it automatically made her wonder if this person was having their own personal reflection like she was. A kindred soul, perhaps. It only took a couple of steps for her to start wondering if she actually knew this 'kindred soul'. They weren't facing her, but that long black hair certainly looked familiar. And were those... white hair clips? Those looked exactly like-

"Dia?" They turned to the sound of her voice, revealing that it was indeed Dia. Based on the surprised expression on her face, neither of them had expected to see the other there that day. She was shocked enough that she had to pull out her phone to quickly check the time. It was still early enough that she should've likely still been in the student council room like usual. What was she doing all the way out here?

"You? What are you doing here?"

* * *

You came around and sat down on the bench next to Dia. She set her bag in between them, next to Dia's own, still struggling to get over her surprise. This was quite the coincidence. Ahh, but this wasn't good. She hadn't been prepared to fake her feelings for at least awhile longer, but there was her senior with nowhere to hide. Hopefully she could keep herself stable long enough to fool someone who seemed foolproof. Heck, she knew Dia... kind of, sort of. A little bit. If she found out, her advice would probably be to just tell Chika the truth. She couldn't, though...

"Uh, I was just in the neighborhood." She laughed awkwardly, quickly shutting herself up. "Just wanted to get some fresh air, and the beach seemed as good a place as any." That was technically true, though it left a lot of things unsaid. Like her reasoning, for example. Really, just anything that explained anything was left out, as it needed to be.

"Is that why you aren't wearing shoes?" Dia pointed at You's feet, quirking an eyebrow.

"Uh, well..." She laughed again, rubbing the back of her neck. "Honestly, I like the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand. It feels really nice." She pressed her feet down in the sand for emphasis.

"I see." Facing the ocean again, Dia folded her hands in her lap. She hadn't expected to see anyone on the beach at this time, especially not someone that she knew. Something seemed off about her, though. Glancing at her, she could see a small but noticeable frown on her face. It was as if she wasn't staring at anything in particular, too lost in thought to focus on anything in particular. They sat there in silence for a bit, but eventually Dia could no longer say nothing while thinking that her underclassman - her friend - was having some sort of problem. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Yeah, everything's fine." She put on her trusty fake smile, but Dia didn't seem to be buying it. Even though she held it to the point of her cheeks hurting, Dia just keep staring at her with a no-nonsense look. "What? I'm... It's fine. Everything's fine!" She tried to smile again, but she just couldn't make it work. All the while, Dia kept looking at her, as if she knew something was amiss. It finally made her defenses fall, and she withdrew into herself. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Because I can tell that something is wrong." She knew that she would never be the first person anyone went to when something was wrong, but she at least hoped that her friends could trust that she would listen and give the best advice that she could. "Whatever it is, you can tell me." She smiled, gently placing a hand on You's shoulder. It was weird: despite being an upperclassman, she'd never been in a scenario like this. Well, except for with Ruby, but that was her sister. When it came to other people, it was usually Kanan who could get people to speak to her about their problems.

"I..." She sighed deeply, knowing that she was about to give in. Dia had some sort of power that she hadn't expected. "So, you know how Chika and Riko are dating, right?"

"I'm aware." While not on the same level of distraction as Kanan and Mari, Chika and Riko were acting as apprentices to their senior masters. It hadn't become a huge problem yet, but it was only a matter of time. Though... perhaps it had already become that kind of problem for You? "Are you having problems with them?"

"In a way..." It was going to sound pretty selfish when she admitted exactly how she was feeling. Hopefully, once this was all over, she could convince Dia to tell no one of what she had said. Especially not Chika or Riko. "They've been dating for weeks now, and I'm really happy for them. I can tell just how hard they fell for each other, and I don't want to get in the way of that. It's just... It feels like I'm not much of a priority for them anymore. Like I'm just a third wheel, you know?"

"Really?" Dia's eyes widened, not having expected that the two of them were having similar problems. You nodded slightly, looking down at the sand. She hadn't even noticed, since it always seemed like the three friends were almost always together. Now that she thought about it, though... She could remember times when she'd seen them all together, but she actually couldn't remember Chika or Riko talking to You. They were always talking to each other, as couples did. As Kanan and Mari did... "I... suppose I understand how you're feeling. Currently, I'm going through some similar feelings myself."

"Wait, what? For real?" Now it was You's turn to express surprise. She hadn't expected this at all. "You and... Kanan and Mari?" Actually... That kinda made sense. Maybe Dia was going through the same thing with those two as she was with Chika and Riko. They _were_ dating, after all, and Mari could be very... let's say 'captivating'. "So you've been feeling like a third wheel too?"

"I suppose you could say that..." Thinking about it was one thing: saying it out loud made her feel childish. These were not the feelings someone like her should've been experiencing. It was too late for that, though. If she could get her intimidation game back on point, perhaps she could use it to her advantage in order to keep You from telling anyone what had transpired here. "It can be so frustrating sometimes! Mari is always distracting Kanan when we're trying to do work, and it's almost impossible to get them to focus during practice. Sometimes it feels like I'm-"

"Invisible." They both spoke at the same time, with You having known exactly what Dia was going to say. "I do too. I don't want to rain on their parade, but I wish Chika would remember that we were best friends before Riko moved here..." She swallowed thickly, hating where that thought process inevitably went. It made it seem like she wished Riko had never moved there, which wasn't true. Just... before she had, You had still had her best friend to herself. As selfish as that was, she couldn't help but think that way.

"Kanan and I were best friends before Mari moved here. That was years ago, though." Dia chuckled quietly, remembering the days when the three of them would constantly get into misadventures together. Back then, it was because of Kanan, who had enough adventure in her for all three of them. "If Mari hadn't come back, my relationship with Kanan may have never recovered. I suppose I've never truly thanked her for that..." She looked down for a moment, wondering if she should be giving those two more leeway. It could be worse: Mari could be an entire continent away, and she could still not be on speaking terms with Kanan. "Perhaps I've been selfish trying to force those two to focus on what I want when they've already done so much for me. Who am I to try to split them apart, even if for a moment?"

"Well that's not fair. You deserve their attention too!" You turned to Dia, suddenly feeling a spark of annoyance. She understood that Kanan and Mari were together, and they clearly had a very good relationship. That didn't mean they needed to make Dia feel this way. She was their friend too, right? "You can't do all that student council work alone. They should be helping you out instead of just focusing on each other."

"Hmm... Wouldn't that be fair to say about Chika and Riko then?" That stopped her in her tracks.

"That... Well, it's... it's different." There wasn't much conviction behind her words. Dia was right: exactly what she had said could be said right back to her own friends. She couldn't abide by that, though. No matter how upset she may have been, she could never be angry with them. "I guess I don't know how it's different. I just know that it is."

"I understand. Honestly, I may be frustrated with Kanan and Mari, but I can't make myself be truly mad at them. They're still my friends, even if I'm-" She froze, the words 'not as important to them anymore' dying on her tongue. That thought nearly brought her to tears again, but she forced them back. She didn't want to cry in front of You. That would be embarrassing. "Seeing them together makes me a tad jealous, honestly. It must be nice to have someone to be that close to." She stopped speaking after that, having to put her efforts into avoiding crying. If she tried to speak again, her voice would break, and her attempts to hide it would be for naught.

"Yeah, I've... thought about that too, sometimes..." It was hard to ignore just how happy those two were. How all four of them were, really. Admittedly, she hadn't thought too much of being in a relationship specifically, but thinking about it now, she understood. All these years, she'd felt that being in a relationship was just like having a best friend, and she already had one of those. There was more to it, though. A girlfriend had a different feeling that was clearly a big positive to Chika and Riko. It would be nice to have someone there to make her not feel so left out.

The two of them lapsed into silence, both having become lost in their thoughts on relationships. They each ended up with a hand on their respective bags, close enough that their fingers ended up brushing against each other. Looking down at their hands, then at each other, light blushes crossed their cheeks as they pulled their hands away. Now the silence had suddenly become uncomfortable, and You was the first one to decide that she couldn't stand it any longer.

"If we both want to be in a relationship so bad, then why don't we be in one together?" She jumped up, startling Dia. "We'd make a great couple!" She put her hands on her hips, standing in the sand and smiling triumphantly. Dia, however, just laughed awkwardly, caught off guard by the sudden enthusiasm from You. She had just been so down, but she had recovered rather quickly.

"I don't think you're supposed to get into a relationship like that just because your friends are in one." She leaned back against the bench, feeling a bit of tension easing off thanks to You's sudden idea. "Besides, do you even like me like... well, like a girlfriend? I know we haven't ever hung out together before today. We don't really know much about each other either."

"Well, we could learn more about each other then. That's part of a relationship, right?" She laughed and let herself drop down into the sand, stretching her arms out behind her to keep herself upright. "We don't actually have to be in _that_ kind of a relationship, but we could start hanging out together more. Since our friends are always pretty busy, maybe us third wheels should band together." She looked up at Dia, hoping that she hadn't been too forward with what she was suggesting. Maybe she would end up thinking it was scandalous, tell her to be serious, and then decide it was time to head home.

"That... sounds acceptable." Or maybe she'd be totally cool with it. Dia smiled down at her, the first legitimate smile she'd been able to conjure up in hours. "We wouldn't want to rush into anything, but it couldn't hurt to spend more time together. After all, we're supposed to be friends." Her smile faltered a bit, thinking about something. "I haven't really put much effort into learning things about you all. I... have never felt comfortable stepping outside of the comfort zone that Kanan and Mari have provided me. I've known them both for years, so I haven't had to make many other friends."

"Maybe I can help you." You stood back up and offered her hands to Dia. Looking at her for a moment, Dia decided to take her hands and let herself be pulled up to her feet. "We can become better friends, and I'll help you step out of your comfort zone." She squeezed Dia's hands, locking eyes with her. "You know, you're not the only one who doesn't know much about everyone else. I haven't really spent a lot of time with you, Kanan, or Mari either. Maybe it's time to change that."

"Okay." Dia smiled, feeling a lot calmer than she had before. She definitely didn't feel like crying anymore. Heck, she was focusing much more on You now than what had been bothering her. That was progress. "Would you want to stop by the student council office before first period? I... kind of left before finishing the rest of the paperwork." She looked guilty over having not done what she was supposed to do. "You don't have to show up as early as I do, but maybe we could spend some time talking before class?"

"Okay! I'm sure Chika and Riko won't mind if we go to school separately." It had come so effortlessly off her tongue, but it hurt the moment she realized what she had said. She froze, feeling a sudden wave of unease come over here. They really wouldn't mind, would they? Even though they came into school together all the time... Dia noticed the sudden shift in You's mood, but she wasn't sure what to do. Comfort had never been her strong suit.

"Uh, I know I'm not exactly Kanan, but..." She held out her arms, smiling awkwardly but meaningfully. "Want a hug?" You looked at her in surprise, but didn't hesitate to nod and step into her arms. Dia wrapped them around her, hugging her a bit stiffly. It was the thought that counted, though, and You was grateful for the contact. She laid her head on Dia's shoulder and closed her eyes, putting her own arms around her.

"You may not be Kanan, but you still give a good hug, Dia." They both laughed at that, pulling away from the hug simultaneously. "But for real, I'd be glad to spend time with you before school tomorrow. And, you know, since we're already here... wanna just talk? We've got a whole beach we can walk around." Hmm... Well, she knew that she couldn't spend too long out there. They both had school in the morning, and their families would worry if they were out too late. At the same time, she didn't really want to go home at the moment. She didn't want to leave You just yet.

"I wouldn't mind that. Though I'm going to keep on my shoes, if it's all the same to you."

"Hey, your loss."

* * *

The next morning, Dia showed up bright and early to finish up the paperwork that she had left behind. To her surprise, there was nothing for her to do. Everything was finished and sorted neatly on her desk. Had... Had Kanan and Mari finished up the work after she had left? She honestly hadn't expected them to do that. That was... good of them to do so. She went around the desk and sat down in her chair, tapping her fingers together. So now what was she supposed to do while waiting for You?

When You made it in, she found Dia sitting at her desk studying. She looked up as soon as the door opened, smiling when she saw who it was. "Good morning, You. Please, pull up a chair." Grabbing the nearest chair, You carried it over and placed it next to Dia. Sitting down, she leaned over to see what Dia was studying.

"English?" Thinking about it, the only one in their group she'd ever heard speak any amount of English was Mari.

"It's important to be proficient in the language for business. I want to be prepared." She knew that her future lied in her family's business, so she wanted to make sure she knew everything necessary to make her parents proud. Admittedly, English was a bit of a struggle, even for her. That's why she had to study when she had the chance. "How are you doing in English?"

"Uh... Not... so great." She laughed nervously at the suddenly serious look on Dia's face. "I'm not close to failing or anything! I just don't really get it, you know? There's so many confusing ways sentences will go that it trips me up. Chika does worse than me." She silently apologized for throwing Chika under the bus, but she didn't want all of Dia's wrath focused on her.

"If you need help with that, I would be happy to help you study." The serious expression was gone, replaced by a soft smile. That made You breathe a sigh of relief, nodding happily at the chance to have someone as smart as Dia tutoring her. Just as You started to lean in closer, the door suddenly burst open and made both of them jump. Standing there were Kanan and Mari, with Chika and Riko hovering behind them. "Honestly, have you never heard of knocking?!"

"No time to knock! Dia!" Mari bounded over towards the desk, slapping her hands down. "Kanan and I wanted to apologize for yesterday. We shouldn't have ignored you when you were telling us to help you with the paperwork- You?" Mari finally noticed that You was sitting there. "What are you doing here?" Before she could think of some kind of answer, Chika had bounded up next to Mari.

"You! Riko and I wanted to apologize too! When we were walking home yesterday, Riko thought you seemed kinda down, and then I thought about it, and yeah, she was right! What's wrong? Did something happen?" She gasped, slapping a hand across her mouth. "Oh, did we ignore something you said? Ahh, we're really, really sorry!"

"Uhh, I..." You was suddenly very overwhelmed by everything that was happening. She definitely hadn't expected this, and she didn't know what to do. After having already been resigned to keeping the truth deep down inside, the opportunity to suddenly tell the truth was right in front of her. She couldn't do it, though... yet she also couldn't lie. There was a realistic threat of her just sitting there like an idiot until the first bell rung, but then she felt something surprising: Dia's hand on hers. She looked over in surprise, feeling Dia start to squeeze her hand reassuringly. All she got was a simple smile in response before Dia turned to face the sudden intrusion.

"It's alright, Mari. We actually should talk about yesterday, but I'd rather we wait until after school. I think Chika and Riko will need to hear this too." They both turned to look at Dia, then at You, who couldn't meet their eyes. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I was about to help You with her English work. We'll discuss what happened today, okay?" She was still smiling, but there was a look in her eye that showed she wasn't really up for negotiations.

"But-" Mari wanted to argue regardless, but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Kanan there, and she decided to frown at her instead of Dia. "Kanan, I don't understand." Honestly, Kanan wasn't sure she understood either. At the same time, she knew Dia well enough to know when she was going to stick to something. It was clear that this was one of those times, and she didn't want to push her if the time wasn't right. Plus, she had seen how overwhelmed You had become, so it was probably best that they gave those two their space.

"I think we should give them their space, Mari. Chika, Riko, you too." Now it was Chika who wanted to argue, but she couldn't say anything under Kanan's no-nonsense stare. She was suddenly giving Dia a run for her money with that one. "I'm sure they want to get their studying in before class starts without any distractions." She looked over at Dia, who mouthed 'thanks' to her. Obviously there was more to it than just studying, but something told her that it would do no good to push the issue immediately. Dia had said they would talk about it after school, and she believed her.

With great reluctance, Mari and Chika followed Kanan and Riko out of the room. They both gave one last look over their shoulders before heading out, letting the door close behind them. Only then did You feel like she could breathe again. She took in a big gulp of air, letting her head slump against the desk. "Gods, that was so tense! I didn't know what to say!"

"I figured that was the case, so I bought us some time." She turned to look at You. "I think we should tell them about how we feel. Perhaps if we do it together, it won't seem as daunting." You definitely wasn't sure about doing that. However, if Dia was sure that it would be okay... Well, as long as she was there with her, maybe it'd be okay. She smiled and squeezed Dia's hand, feeling safe next to her senior.

"I think I can do it if you're there with me." The task still seemed very daunting, and she was worried about what might happen when all was said and done. At least, should things end up going south, she would still have Dia at her side. She was glad that the two of them had happened across each other yesterday. Regardless of what one might call their relationship at present, it was a relationship that she was sure happy to have. It would help her get through the tenseness of what was bound to come later that day.

"I definitely will be." A slight blush came to her face as she found it suddenly hard to keep looking at You. "As... As long as you're there with me as well, you know?" You beamed, seeing that they both were in the same boat there. She tapped Dia's shoulder, waiting for her to turn back to her. Then she lifted that arm up, offering a hug.

"I know I'm not Kanan, but-" Dia laughed, not even letting her finish before falling into her half-hug. It would've been a full hug, but both of them were enjoying the comfort of holding each other's hand too much to break apart. A half-hug was better than no hug anyway, and it helped both of them feel a bit safer: a bit closer. They were going to have to deal with something that wasn't going to be much fun later, but right now it felt like it was going to be okay. Neither of them had to say anything: they both just knew it.

"Should we get back to English, then?" You nodded, breaking away from the hug to lean in closer to Dia. Looking down at the workbook, she couldn't help but smile. Whatever was going to happen at the end of the day, she was ready for it. They both felt that way. It was going to be tough, but they'd get through it together. That's what friends were for. And, maybe someday soon, they'd be more than friends. But that's another story.


End file.
